Cloud Computing

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Cloud Computing

With the increasing trend for companies to outsource (such as certain accounting or IT functions), cloud computing has increasingly become a solution for organizations. It’s an innovative and increasingly popular model of software deployment that offers enterprise-class software function without traditional up-front infrastructure costs or the unpredictable support and maintenance costs of on-site software and hardware.

From infrastructure to security to personal productivity to workflow, CRM, accounting and ERP, there are today mature, cloud-based applications available in nearly every segment of the software marketplace.

The typical types of cloud computing methods include:

Software as a Service (SaaS)

Platform as a Service (PaaS)

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)

Cloud Computing Tools

Mobile & Remote Computing: Sample IT Policies (Template)
A sample IT policy document that can be modified to help formalize and articulate IT policies to employees. This document incorporates specific policies crucial to any organization implementing mobile and remote computing initiatives, as well as additional policies that organizations should implement in order to ensure a baseline level of security over information and network resources. It is offered in Word format to allow organizations to customize it to meet their needs.

References

The NIST Definition of Cloud Computing
The NIST definition in SP 800-145,The NIST Definition of Cloud Computing, characterizes important aspects of cloud computing and is intended to serve as a means for broad comparisons of cloud services and deployment strategies, and to provide a baseline for discussion from what is cloud computing to how to best use cloud computing.

Guidelines on Security and Privacy in Public Cloud ComputingNIST SP 800-144, Guidelines on Security and Privacy in Public Cloud Computing provides an overview of the security and privacy challenges pertinent to public cloud computing and points put considerations organizations should take when outsourcing data, applications, and infrastructure to a public cloud environment.

Leverage Advanced Technologies, Achieve Business Goals – An interview with McGladreyThe irreversible trends in global business and telecommuting have created a need for reliable and effective virtual communication (both internal and external) for all businesses. Panelists will discuss use of technology to facilitate collaboration, including remote computing as well as the use of mobile devices and video. Panelists will share best practices within their own companies, including the implementation of controls.

Managing Controls, Risk in the CloudAudrey Katcher, CPA/CITP, a partner in the St. Louis office of accounting firm RubinBrown, emphasizes the importance of controls testing and contracts with cloud providers that establish clearly who has the rights to, and the responsibility for, the information being stored or processed in the cloud.

The Cloud: Security and OpportunitiesDonny Shimamoto, CPA/CITP, managing director of IntrapriseTechKnowlogies, examines risks and rewards of cloud computing and explains how business concerns should play the key role in deciding whether to move services to the cloud.